Things of Import
by Shade of Man
Summary: The past defines us. But what, in what way, and how much?
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Saki.

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Water frightens you.

Well, maybe 'frighten' was the wrong word for what water did to you.

You hadn't always been entirely incompetent at swimming. Sure, you'd needed your sister's help just to stay afloat in the lane pool. But you managed. It made her happy, and your sister. And because they had been happy, you had been too.

Now...You'd probably say (if anyone ever asked and you actually told them the truth) that the water swarmed with memories. Like fish in an aquarium.

(You had shuddered, the first time that thought formed, quickly pushing it down and away.)

Treasured memories, shameful ones. Accusations, reminders of what you had been responsible for. Reminders of what you'd lost, more and more trickling into your mind the longer you thought about water in a glass cage, water stretching out before you until it met the sky. No friend to you. Not anymore.

The mocking voice, murmuring as it crashed against the pier, that those times were lost for good, that you chose a foolish task to devote yourself to, and that only shame would await. Your family would be divided for good, with no chance of reconciliation, and you would only have yourself to blame.

The vastness that hid how and why your family had acted the way they had, their reasons lost in the fathomless depths you dared not encroach upon, lest you abandon all hopes of healing in their wake.

The tides that threatened to wash your joys away if you did not maintain constant awareness of their reach, the riptides that promised to pull you away from safe shores, wrenching the hope you had cradled in your heart for years.

So, when you could, you stayed away from the water. And, until you met your friends, you stayed away from mahjong.

There was no point in keeping such painful reminders, what with the memories the tiles held.

But now you had hope. The same game (not really, your family's mahjong and the mahjong you played today were very, very different) that had torn your confidence to shreds, that was also a reminder of the past, now gave you hope. A small chance, but a chance nonetheless.

(With the luck you had, that was all you needed.)

You weren't so alone now. Nurturing that dream of reunion was one thing, but acting upon had been another, when you were the only one who seemed to want your family as it had been.

Your friends had you, were there for you. (For that, you were and would be eternally grateful.) They were there to see you through to the end, and would, without a doubt, be there if the second part of your dream came and went unfulfilled.

Maybe, if you succeeded in your goal, or at least made peace with your sister... If you finally knew why things happened the way they did, why they ended up as they were...

Maybe you could face the sea.

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This came about from being on Tvtropes, and someone suggesting that Saki's inability to swim caused some sort of trouble in her past. I simply reversed it, so the trouble is _why_ she cannot swim at all.

Might do something about Teru, later. It depends on how well it comes together.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I do not own Saki.

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You are Miyanaga Teru: winner of the national individual mahjong tournament, and the one who led Shiratodai to victory in the team tournament two years in a row. Your mahjong is the stone rolling down the mountain, the nine lanterns to blind your foes, leaving them helpless against the threshing that follows after you. A ruthless way to play. You know it, but you could care less about the comments of others. When you played, playing was all that mattered. You played the way you did, and you won. What happened to your opponents was of no concern to you.

At least, that's what you thought. As far as you knew, you had successfully shed yourself of your past, letting mahjong become the centre of your life. No need for companionship, for family or friends. Just winning, proving to others that you were leagues above them.

But then the game moved in a way outside the realms of your expectation. The knowledge that second place was enough to advance did not sate them. They put their precious points on the line just for the tiny chance of scratching you. Knowing they had little to gain from such ventures, but choosing to play that way anyway. They somehow pulled together, somehow managed to halt your momentum. And all because of that, you hadn't really won.

You hadn't participated in that kind of game since...

You shoved that thought aside, but another rose up quickly, also reminiscent of things you would rather forget. Senriyama's fall. It pushed you further off-guard.

For you, at this tournament, only two things mattered: mahjong, and your image. Had your mind been focused on mahjong, you could have simply ignored it and walked away. If your public image had been at the forefront, you could have moved to assist her. You only stood there, neither moving to assist, nor to hinder. Not positive. Not negative.

Neutral.

It niggled at the back of your mind. Refusing to just leave you alone, it whimpered and cried, two voices, one asking if this was how to get a 'chii', one requesting you come play by the sea... and both sobbing for you, asking why you left them, begging you to come home.

You ignored it. What was important was the present. The past... it had no place in your plans. Irrelevant to you.

That's what you told yourself, anyway.

You'd always been good at lying.

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AN: I apologise for such a wait for such a short piece. It's grade 12 exams. And my own pace when it comes to writing.

I'd like to thank the two reviewers, and the one person who faved this. I wasn't so sure how such a short piece would go over, so thank you.

This one… definitely harder to pull out, what with so few scenes we've had of her. Saki's the easiest of all, her reasons and fears being very apparent. Teru, on the other hand, is rather mysterious because we have no idea how she sees the past. And we're missing a few crucial pieces. But I think that until one of them is willing to face the past, rather than run from it or ignore it, neither will win over the other. Might drag over to individuals.

Anyway, enough rambling. Thoughts? Ideas? Let me know. (I am all for discussing the characters and their reasons. Who knows, might give an idea to write up. *grins*)


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